Automatic circuit-breaker for coin-controlled telephone systems.



H. M. CONNOR & D. D. MILES AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR COIN CONTROLLED TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 20. 1917. 1,262,645.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

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H. M. CONNOR & D. D. MILES.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR COIN CONTROLLED TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 20. I9I7.

1 362,645. Patented Apr. 10, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEEI 2.

it HM 1243 UNITED STATES. PATENT oFrIoE.

HERSCHEL CONNOR AND DON .0. MILES, OF SAN FRANCIIQC O, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT-BREAKER FOR COIN-CONTROLLED TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed February 20, 1917. Serial No. 149,837.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERSCHEL M. CON- NOR and DON D. MILES, citizens of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Circuit- Breakers for Coin- Controlled Telephone Systems; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de-. scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to automatic circuit breakers for coin controlled telephone systems and has for its object to provide a device of this character which will prevent subscribers from getting connections by grounding the line as well as a device which will be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and to install, and one that will be more efiicient in action than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims. I

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the usual coin controlled telephone circuit, showing this invention employed therein;

Fig. 2 is a detail elevational view of one form of magnet and armature with the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view partly in elevation of a portion of the parts illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fi 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showlng the parts in a somewhat diflerent position;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the armature shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are respectively central sectional, side, and end elevational views 'of a slightly modified form of the armature shown in Fig, 2;

Fig. 9 is a sectional plan view of a still further modified form of the invention; and

Fig; 10 is a side elevational view of astill further modified form of the invention especially adapted to a somewhat different type of relay.

1 indicates a battery or other source of current at the central station, 2 the operators signal lamp having a filament 3, connected as at 4 to the wire 5 joining the battery 1 and the magnet or relay coil 6, the latter associated with the armature member 7, see Fig. 3, carrying the sprin member 8, secured as by the screw 9 to tie said armature 7, which isconveniently pivoted as at 10 to the base or support 11. The said spring member 8 is provided with the tip or contact member 12 and with the adjustable make and break contact 13, while the armature 7 is provided with the contact 14 adapted to make circuit with said contact 13. A spring 15 conveniently secured to the armature 7 by the screw 9, carries the adjusting screw 16, contacting with the spring 8 and serving to regulate the pressure between the contacts 13 and 14.

The filament 3 is also connected as by the wire to the contact 40 carriedby the coil 6, while the armature 7 and base 11 are connected by the wire 21 to the ground 22. 23 represents a coin at the subscribers station after having been deposited and closedthe circuit between the contact members 24 and 25, the latter being connected to the ground 26, and the former through the wire 27, coils 28 and wire 29 being connected to the main line 30. The battery 1 is grounded as at 31.

In a coin controlled telephone circuit of the nature just described, were no spring 8 and make and break contacts such as 13 and 14 provided, it is evident that a dishonest patron could, by grounding the main llne 30 as at any point 32, between the subscribers coil 28 and the central station, or

by grounding the connections as at any point 33 between said coils and the central station, readily cause the operators lamp 2 to light up without the prepayment of a coin 23, for in such cases the current would readily flow from the battery 1 to the ground 31, to the grounds 34 and 35 as the case may be, over the main line wire 30, or'over the connection 29 and main line 30 to and through the coils 6 of the magnet or relay at the central station, along the wire 5 to the point 4 and back to the battery 7.

Prior to our invention the armature? of the magnet coil 6 has been included in the local circuit of the operators lamp 2, just as is the case here, but in such a manner as to positively close the said circuit when ourrent is passed through the said coil 6, irrespective of the strength of energizing current in said coil. That is to say, the said armature 7 has been provided with a single contact member corresponding to the contact 12 adapted to make circuit with a stationary contact member similar to the member 40 there illustrated, but no contacts corresponding to the members 13 and 141 have been provided. In said prior devices, upon the energization of the coil 6, in the manner above disclosed, the said local or lamp circuit would be closed through the said armature and stationary contacts corresponding 15 to the members 12 and 40, and current would in that case flow from the battery 1 to ground 31. ground22, along wire 21 to armature 7,, to the contact corresponding to member 12 and to contact corresponding to member 40, along wire 20 through lamp 2, and back to battery 1, thus lighting said lamp. But, as above pointed out, no contacts correspondingto the members 13 and 14- being included in said local circuit, the

lamp 2 would light whether or not the strength o the current through the coils 6 was greatly varied. in other words, a dishonest subscricer could by grounding the main line at say the points 32 and 33 cut out tn resist es of his coiis 28, and t 1e cenal station signal lamp 2 would still light up and connection would be given him.

y our invention comprising the co -acts and 1 and adjustable spring 8, on the e-e other ban dishonest subscriber cannot thus cheat as telephone company,

he grounds tee main l or any or tions at a y point which will cause a eat char ge resistance in the circuit the cf lamp 2 Will to give a signal, and no connection 1 be give the operator.

should. the subscriber introhis connection as 32 and 33, the make contact bea A0 1 w anti I {1110. no s1g- 3 2. And should no resistance wou d the resistance of coils M.

he snouid get this knowloi battery current 1 I .1 v cnangeo at tne central stae between the a coiled spring is substituted, a slidable adjustable screw member 66 carrying the contact 12 is provided, and the insulation 67 rigid with the member 66, may slide piston like in the tubular insulation 68 to make and break the circuit at the contacts 13 and 1% carried by the member 69 and the armature 7 respectively. Said member 69 is carried by the slidable adjustable member 66 as Will be clear from Fig. 7.

In "the further modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 9, the contacts 13 and 14 are still in series with the contacts 12 and 40, but they are not carried by the armature as in the preceding case. In this figure, contact 14 carried b member 70 connected to the wire 20, tact 13 is carried by the adjustah member 71 controlled by the screw the contact 4:0 is also by sc ber '71. Zhe contact 12 is carrie sc ew. 73 in electrical CO1 in the invention she ber is ins ber Z Z car t0 een 1e contact 81 r by the sort (3' screw oe accordingly, the dishonest subscriber will fail to get his connections. It will further be seen in all the forms illustrated, there is likewise a pair of contacts corresponding to the contacts 12 and 40 and 13 and 14 just mentioned and that in every case Whenever the current through the coils or relay magnets 6 becomes abnormally strong, the armature is moved to such a distance as will first make circuit between contacts 12 and 10 and upon a further movement of said armature, due to an abnormally strong current, it will then break circuit between the other pair of contacts in series with said first mentioned contacts 12 and 40, and in such event that the signal lamp fails to light.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of the construction as well as the arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore we do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What we claim is 2- 1. In an electro-magnet signaling device the combination of an armature; a spring carried by said armature; a plurality of contacts in series carried by said spring; a contact independent of said armature coacting with one of said spring carried contacts; a contact carried by said armature coacting with another of said spring carried contacts; and adjustable spring controlled means for holding said last named pair of contacts normally in their closed positions, substantially as described.

2. In an electro-magnetic signaling device the combination of an electro-magne't; an armature associated with said magnet; a contact member associated with said magnet; a second contact member associated with said armature; a spring associated with said armature; a third contact member controlled by said spring adapted to make and break circuit with said first named contact member; a fourth contact member also controlled by said spring and joined in series with said third contact member adapted to make and break circuit with said second named contact member; and adjustable means for holding said second and fourth members normally in contact with each other, substantially as described.

3. In an electro-magnetic signaling device the combination of an electro-magnet; a contact member; an armature; a second contact member controlled by said armature; a spring; a third contact member controlled by said spring adapted to make and break circuit with said first named contact member; a fourth contact member also carried by said spring in series with said third contact member adapted to make and break circuit with said second contact member; and adjustable means coacting with said spring for holding a pair of said members normally in contact with each other, substantially as described.

4. In an electro-magnetic signaling device the combination of a contact member; a second contact member adapted to make circuit with said first named contact member; a spring member carrying said second contact member; anarmature adapted to move said spring member and make circuit between said contact members; a third contact member also movable with said armature; a fourth contact member. for closing the circuit with said third contact member; a second spring member carrying said fourth contact member; an adjustable means contacting with said second spring 'member for normally maintaining the circuit closed between said third and fourth contact members; and a third spring member carrying said adjustable means, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

HERSOHEL M. CONNOR. DON D. MILES. Witnesses:

W. R. FISHER, A. E. Bonn. 

